A Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae has attributed repeated delays in medical admissions and regulatory processes to longstanding vacancies within the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the government's failure to fill several statutory positions mandated under the law, according to Anuja Jaiswal's Times of India report.
In a report submitted to the Supreme Court, senior advocate Maninder Singh said delays in inspections, approvals, appeals and counselling have persisted despite successive reform measures aimed at streamlining medical education governance.
The report noted that admission processes continue to extend well beyond prescribed deadlines. For the 2025-26 academic year, postgraduate admissions reportedly continued until February 2026, while undergraduate admissions stretched till December 2025.
Highlighting the impact on students, the report said, “Most of the sufferers in these delays are the students.” It noted that medical seats often remain vacant because approvals, renewals and counselling procedures are not completed within stipulated timelines.
According to the report, permissions and renewals for MBBS courses were granted as late as November 2025 even though the academic session had commenced on September 1, 2025. It also pointed to instances where appeals concerning postgraduate courses and seat enhancements became ineffective because counselling processes advanced before decisions on the appeals were taken.
The amicus linked these recurring delays to the absence of key officials across the NMC and its autonomous boards. It said vacancies in leadership positions have slowed the formulation of regulations, processing of applications, grant of permissions and disposal of appeals.
The report also flagged concerns over transparency in the regulator's functioning. It stated that inspection reports and regulatory decisions are no longer being routinely placed in the public domain despite statutory provisions requiring their disclosure.
“It is very unfortunate that an authority responsible for regulating standards of medical education in the country and performing various functions under the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019 is functioning without office-bearers,” the submission stated.
The report observed that six years after the National Medical Commission Act came into force, several statutory posts within the commission and its autonomous boards remain vacant. While the law provides for multiple presidents and members across the boards, a number of those positions have yet to be filled.
It further noted that the Centre has not appointed personnel to several key posts envisaged under the legislation, including the position of secretary for the prescribed tenure.
(With TOI inputs)
